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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25246420">mixed blessings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomsoftly/pseuds/bloomsoftly'>bloomsoftly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Yggdrasil - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:53:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25246420</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomsoftly/pseuds/bloomsoftly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>surviving death has consequences, it turns out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jane Foster &amp; Darcy Lewis &amp; Thor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>157</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>camp nano has been good to me. or maybe i've been good to it? ❤️</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She never even saw it coming. </p><p>One moment, she was joking with Jane as they ran. Something stupid, probably, about Jane needing to get better control over her new alien-Rhino-pet, and Jane snapping about her inappropriate, irreverent humor and its decided lack of timeliness. </p><p>No. </p><p>No, she could almost remember. It was like reaching through mist, but she heard herself say, “Damn, Janie, I know we’re dealing with cultural differences here, but someone’s got to teach Thor how to give an appropriate anniversary gift.”</p><p>“As long as that person isn’t you,” Jane started to say, only to be cut off partway through when Darcy shoved her roughly to the side. </p><p>She remembered feeling bad about the force of it, the way her desperate push had sent Jane sprawling ass over kettle, but Darcy felt worse about the thing that had popped up behind her best friend. </p><p>And then she wasn’t thinking much at all, except to make a tiny “oh” of surprise, air catching on the syllable with the blood spewing out of her mouth. It hurt to breathe, to think, to exist. And everything faded away, but slowly. </p><p>Her ears were full of cotton, or maybe she was underwater. But she could just make out Jane’s voice. Screaming for Thor (but not like the way Darcy usually heard, when they were too enthusiastic and she was desperately trying to tune them out and fall back to sleep). Crying for Darcy. </p><p>Jane was sad, and angry, and demanded that she open her eyes. </p><p>Darcy would do anything for Jane. “‘S okay,” she wanted to say, “I just need to take a little nap.” But her lips wouldn’t work. Maybe after she got some rest, she could try again. </p><p>And here she was, though Darcy suspected that her rest wasn’t actually a rest. Or maybe it was... just more of the permanent kind. </p><p><br/>She peered out into the grey—or was it green? She thought she spotted a thread of gold, even. Rubbing at her eyes, she supposed she should be grateful that it wasn’t red and scorching. </p><p>“Mark one for not being so shitty I ended up in hell,” she muttered to herself, jolting when actual sound came out of her mouth. Her voice was raspy and hoarse, but it was audible. “<em>Am</em> I dead?” she wondered. </p><p>“Yes,” a voice intoned, echoing through the mist. “And no.”</p><p>“That is totally unhelpful,” she accused. Pointing an accusing finger at nothing probably didn’t have much of an impact, but it certainly made her feel better. </p><p>“And yet it is the most accurate response to your question.” The voice sounded decidedly amused, now. “He was right; you do have spirit.”</p><p>“Who was right?”</p><p>“Can you not hear him, child?”</p><p>The silence was too deafening, at first, and Darcy couldn’t hear anything at all. Then, something. Faint, as though eavesdropping from several rooms away. </p><p>“Thor?” she asked. It was definitely him. She’d never heard his voice so choked up, though, as if speaking through tears. </p><p>“He speaks of your deeds, and your worth.”</p><p>“I am dead, then,” Darcy said, glum. That was the kind of thing friends did at funerals and wakes. She felt bad for Thor and Jane, but worse for herself. </p><p>“Yes, and no,” the voice said again. “You’ve just taken your last breath, out there.”</p><p>Darcy inhaled, just to make sure. She flattened her hand against her breastbone, checking. There was no heartbeat. Distantly, she thought she should be a lot more concerned about that. </p><p>“So what happens now?” she asked the voice. “Do I—I don’t know—move on, or something?”</p><p>“That remains to be seen.”</p><p>“Okayyyy.” She waited a second, then, “well, can I know who you are, at least? While I wait?”</p><p>The mist collapsed in on itself suddenly, exploding outward in a burst of light. She stared up in awe, at—</p><p>“I am Yggdrasil.”</p><p>“The world tree,” Darcy gasped, staring at the writhing threads of gold, tightly condensed in certain areas and barely glinting in others. </p><p>“Thor has spoken to you about me.”</p><p>“Yes. Well,” Darcy clarified, “he wasn’t the first, but yes he did. With fondness, like... like you were a grandparent.”</p><p>“In your understanding, it is perhaps similar, yes. Both he and his brother spent many ages beneath my branches, learning anything and everything I was willing to teach them.”</p><p><em>“Loki?”</em> Darcy asked, unable to comprehend the man as anything but a world-destroying monster. </p><p>Sadness vibrated in the air. “They were both keen to learn the stories. Loki was driven by a thirst for knowledge, yet also fear. Thor, by pride and love.”</p><p>“That sounds like Thor.” She could picture him clearly, with arms that could crush a man’s skull but eyes that laughed above a gentle smile. And above all, a kind soul. </p><p>“Yes, you see him clearly.” The voice was louder now, raising the skin on the back of her neck. In front of her, the golden threads on the universe tree pulsed and grew brighter. “You have the potential, Midgardian daughter, to see much more than that.”</p><p>“As long as it’s not the grey,” Darcy joked. “No offense to you, but I don’t think I could spend all eternity staring out into the mist.”</p><p>“No,” the voice agreed, “yours is a different role. And since you gave your permission—“ </p><p>Goosebumps broke out on Darcy’s skin and a shiver raced its way down her spine. “Wait, what—“</p><p>Suddenly, the tree went dark. </p><p>“You belong to me now, as you always have,” the voice murmured, “and I belong to you.  My power, my knowledge is now ours, for you to use as you see fit. Do what is right, and no one will be able to stand against you.” There was a whisper against her forehead, like a kiss from weathered and worn lips. “Rest now, child. I will keep the fire lit.”</p><p>Darcy closed her eyes, and breathed. </p><hr/><p>There were kisses, and hugs, and vague threats thrown about carelessly. “How many times do I have to tell you, Janie,” Darcy taunted, somewhat ineffectively due to the fact that her voice refused to rise beyond a tired whisper, “to make  an effective threat you have to actually be understandable to the person you’re threatening.”</p><p>“Shut up,” Jane sobbed against her shoulder. “I lost you, Darcy. You <em>died!</em> You can’t do that to me, you can’t!”</p><p>“I know, Janie, I know. I’m sorry.” She reached up to pat her friend’s shoulder, only to freeze. “Oh. Hmm.”</p><p>“What?” Jane shrieked, pulling away. “What is it?”</p><p>“Darcy—“ Thor rumbled, staring at her hand in trepidation. </p><p>Circling her wrist were swirling streaks of abstract color. Fittingly, she thought she could make out the vague structure of branches.</p><p>“I guess I’ve been marked?” Darcy offered, glancing between her two friends with a weak grin. </p><p>“By whom, Darcy?” Jane asked, looking ready to throw down with whoever dared to come through the door next. </p><p>“They who keeps the fire lit,” Darcy murmured, looking at her new tattoo and remembering the cryptic words. </p><p>“Yggdrasil,” Thor intoned, looking grim. </p><p>“What. The. Fuck.” Oh, Darcy really, really loved Jane. </p><hr/><p>The first vision Darcy received... did not go as well as it could have. In that it knocked her out for almost 24 hours. The word ‘coma’ was thrown around, which she thought was a bit dramatic. </p><p>“Once you’ve watched your friend literally die after saving your life, come back to life, then have some kind of seizure and fall into a coma several months later, you can call it whatever you like,” Jane had seethed. Darcy didn’t complain about the word choice after that. </p><p>Thor simply squeezed his girlfriend’s shoulders and smiled gently at Darcy. “Are you alright?”</p><p>“Some kind of vision,” Darcy replied, rubbing at her forehead. She wondered if she’d have to suffer through constant, low-grade headaches from then on out. She really, really hoped not. </p><p>“Do you remember any of it?” Thor asked, snagging Jane’s hand when she tried to smack his chest. He defended the question, saying, “It might get worse if she doesn’t share her knowledge, Jane. If this is one of Yggdrasil’s gifts, there could be dire consequences for not using them to their intended purpose. I meant no offense, Darcy.”</p><p>“None taken, big guy. Umm.” She paused. It was so hard to think around the pounding in her head. A small hand pressed against hers, dropping some pain relievers into the palm not applying pressure to her aching skull. Jane followed it up with a glass of water and a sympathetic smile. “Thanks, Janie. Umm, let’s see. I don’t remember much, it happened so fast. A skull and octopus legs, really creepy. In like an underground bunker? And a sad man with a metal arm. He was screaming. Oh! And Captain America’s shield.”</p><p>“I need to tell Steve immediately,” Thor said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder before standing. They’d spent the whole time she was unconscious by her bedside, she could tell. “Anything else?”</p><p>“It was cold,” Darcy replied. Her teeth started to chatter and ache with the force of the memory. "And someone was saying something. In Russian, maybe? Or something similar, I don’t know. Sorry, I’m not great at languages.”</p><p>“You did wonderfully, little sister. I’ll go tell the Captain what we know, and then I’ll come back. Some hot chocolate, maybe?”</p><p>“Sounds great,” Jane said, already climbing into the bed to snuggle under the covers with Darcy. “And, Thor? Maybe we shouldn’t mention how we got this information. Not until we know more, at the very least.”</p><p>“Agreed.” He smiled one last time at both of them and then left, shutting the door quietly behind him. </p><p>Jane burrowed in next to her. “You’ve gotta stop doing this to me, Darce,” she cried. Darcy could feel the tears soaking into her shirt, and she ached for the burden she was putting on her best friend. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Janie, I wish I could. But I think it’s going to get worse from here,” she confessed. Part of her wondered whether she should have ever agreed to be Yggdrasil’s hand or whatever at all. Not that she was given much choice in the matter. </p><p>As if reading her thoughts, Jane tightened her grip. “It’s okay. You’re alive, and that’s what’s important. We can figure everything else out. Okay? You’re alive. You’re alive.”</p><p>“It was so cold,” Darcy confessed. “And lonely, in the vision. I was so scared, Jane. And then there was all this <em>anger</em>.” She broke off, unable to say the rest out loud. She didn’t want it to find root in their happy home, digging in and fanning doubts and fears. </p><p>“We’ll sort it out,” Jane reassured, and hugged her even tighter. “Thor‘s gone to tell Captain America. And they’re like two of the most stubborn people in the universe. They won’t give up, Darce.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Darcy bit her tongue. The sound of a shield striking concrete still rang in her ears. It sounded so final. </p><p>Without even stopping to think, she rolled to the side and reached for her phone. </p><p>Her fingers raced blindly across the screen, not pausing until she hit send. <em>You need to go with him, when he goes. You need to go with him, Thor.</em> </p><p><em>I will,</em> he immediately replied. Then, <em>do you want extra marshmallows?</em></p><p>She could breathe again. Darcy laid back down on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She could breathe again. </p><p>“Wow,” Jane said. Darcy turned her head to find the other woman staring at her intently. “That was like—almost a compulsion?”</p><p>“It felt a little like it, I guess. But mostly I can just breathe in relief. I just—I can tell now that that’s what I was supposed to do. Send Thor along. Jane, I think something really bad would have happened, otherwise.”</p><p>“Okay.” As if Jane had ever accepted something so easily in her life. “Alright, well now we know what this looks like. We can do this. It’s going to be okay, Darcy.”</p><p>Darcy snuggled in closer. The relief was still singing sweetly in her blood, and she was finally warm. “Yeah, Janie, I think it will.”</p><hr/><p>Captain America showed up at their front door a month later. Except he didn’t have his shield, or his uniform, or even his infamous <em>I-can-do-this-all-day</em> expression. Instead, he just looked tired. So, she guessed, today he was just Steve. </p><p>“Captain Rogers,” she said anyway, because there’s only so much irreverence you can offer actual living war heroes. </p><p>He offered her a tired smile. “Just Steve, please. You must be Darcy. Thor has talked a lot about his shield sister.”</p><p>“All lies,” Darcy airily declared, knowing they likely weren’t. “Would you like to come in?”</p><p>“Please, if it’s no trouble. Is Thor around? I should have checked with him first before stopping by, sorry.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” she assured him. “Let me go see if I can find him. Last I saw he was watching cute puppy videos.”</p><p>“That sounds like a nice way to spend the day,” followed her down the hall. </p><p>Thor was in the home office, still on a YouTube kick. “Darcy,” he called excitedly, “have you ever heard a husky howl? Like a tiny wolf pup, except so much more obnoxious!”</p><p>“Yeah, I have.” She laughed. “It never gets old, does it? Umm, I hate to interrupt, big guy, but a very worn-down Captain America is here to see you?”</p><p>“Is he? I hope his friend is alright. There’s no need to worry, Darcy,” he assured upon catching her expression, “I promise I said nothing.”</p><p>“I know you wouldn’t.” Truth. “I’m not worried.”</p><p>Lie. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>... and then there was more!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm trying not to add too much to this story because I already have a WIP with a seer!Darcy (which started on tumblr as in the shadow of your heart, and is my high key fave)...</p><p>but this wouldn't leave me alone. so, here.</p><p>not not not edited. sorry. if i have time/energy later, i'll come back and do so (like i did with the first chapter. that was a big YIKES.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She woke with a start, panting and staring blindly into the darkness. </p><p>“Janie—“ All that answered her was a soft snore, so she scooped up her pillow and threw it as hard as she could across the room. Jane’s snore cut off with a snort, and Darcy tried again. “Jane!” she hissed, keeping her voice as low as possible. </p><p>She couldn’t hear anything in the hallway, but something told her they didn’t have much time. Darcy slid out of bed and groped around in the dark, trying to find the pants she’d left on the floor the night before. </p><p>“Huh? What?” Jane jerked upright as she spoke. Darcy could just make out her silhouette as she looked frantically back and forth to figure out what woke her. </p><p>“We have to go.” Darcy reached for the lamp between their beds, lighting up the room at its lowest setting. It was a bit of a risk, but she needed Jane to see how serious she was. “Now, Jane.”</p><p>Jane met her eyes, flinched, and nodded. “Shit. Okay, yeah. Umm, pants.”</p><p>Darcy picked them up from the floor and tossed them at her friend. Then she went to the corner of the room and starting tossing all their essentials back into the backpack she’d brought, thanking Frigga that they’d never gotten into the habit of packing real suitcases. </p><p>Phones, tablets, wallets, chargers. Check, check, check, and check. </p><p>“Do I have time to pee?” Jane whispered. Darcy looked at her, realized it was a serious question, and tried to dig deep into her Yggdrasil sense (for lack of a better term, and oh how they’d tried to find one) to figure out how much time they have. </p><p>“Two minutes,” she replied harshly, and Jane nodded seriously before dashing to the bathroom. Darcy went to the sink, refusing to go on the run from bad guys without brushing her teeth. </p><p>A minute and a half later, they were ready: bladders emptied, teeth brushed, hair back, and backpacks on. On instinct, Darcy darted across the room to turn the light off. They stood still, frozen, to hear the creaking of the wood floor as someone crept down the hallway. </p><p>She grabbed Jane’s arm and dragged her to the window, opening it as silently as she could before pushing her boss into the bushes outside. “I knew there was a reason I liked this room,” she muttered as she followed, grateful that they’d chosen to stay on the first floor of the boutique hotel. </p><p>“I thought it was because you liked the view,” Jane sassed back. </p><p>That was true, too, not that there was much to see at the moment. Darcy shrugged as she reached up to pull the window closed silently. </p><p>She dropped to her knees just in time, dragging Jane with her, as light flooded the room they’d just exited as someone opened the door. Shoving at Jane none-too-gently, she guided them along the shadows of the building, hidden between the exterior and the well-manicured bushes. They kept low and stealthy as they weaved through the cars parked in the guest parking lot, stopping once to hide behind a large van as a group of men in tactical gear rushed around the building to the area they’d just escaped. </p><p>“Slow and quiet,” Darcy whispered, letting her Y-sense guide her path. They made it to the street without incident, and immediately straightened up and started to run toward a more populated area of the city. </p><p>“I hate DC,” Jane gasped once they stopped a good distance away. She winced and clutched tightly at her side, clearly fighting a stitch. Darcy bit her tongue; now was not the time to remind Jane why she needed to stop skipping her self-defense lessons. Later, once they were out of danger once more. </p><p>“Shit.” Jane looked at her in a panic, but Darcy just shook her head. Not a vision. She’d forgotten the protocol Thor had insisted they set in place for when he was off-planet. “Umm, Heimdall? When you get a chance, can you contact Thor and tell him we’ve got a bit of a situation? A <em>Hydra</em> situation, if I’m not mistaken.” She whispered the name like it might summon the bogeyman, because to her that’s what it kind of felt like. </p><p>Jane looked at her sharply. “Fuck.”</p><p>“Yeah. Okay, time for step two.” Darcy took out her phone and dialed a number she’d never used. The only other person Thor trusted, when he was away. The only other person who knew her secret. </p><p>“Rogers,” came the deep voice, terse but with no sign of sleep. </p><p>“Umm, hi, Cap. It’s Darcy Lewis.”</p><p>“Darcy?” There was a sharp sound in the background, and then his voice got urgent. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Jane and I are in DC for a conference,” she explained, even as she signaled at Jane to start moving again. Her Y-sense was tingling again; they weren’t safe. “And, well—our hotel room got busted up by Hydra.”</p><p>“Fuck.” She could already hear him start to move around. Thor knew what he was doing, trusting this man. Darcy tried not to let her eyes well up with relief—she still needed them to see where they were going. “You got away?”</p><p>“For now. We’ve moved into a busier part of the city, but... they’re definitely following.”</p><p><em>How do you know?</em> he didn’t ask, because he didn’t have to. <em>How much time do you have?</em> was the question she was dreading, because she didn’t want to say it out loud. </p><p>“I’m on the way,” was what he said instead. She could hear another voice in the background, now. She’d never met Sergeant Barnes, even if she’d dreamed about him, but she recognized his voice. </p><p><em>Is it a good idea to bring him along?</em> she wondered, but decided to trust that Steve new what was best for his friend. </p><p>“I’ll track this phone?” he asked, and Darcy was already shaking her head—not that he could see that. </p><p>“No, I’m about to ditch the phone. Thor gave us emergency beacons. Activating mine and Jane’s now. You’ll need to pick her up first.”</p><p>Silence fell for an interminable second. </p><p>“What?!” Jane shrieked. </p><p>“You won’t be together?” Steve asked at the same time, in a much more even tone. </p><p>“We don’t have enough time. Jane will be somewhere safe, and you need to collect her first.” Darcy ignored Jane’s suspicious glare. “Then you can come get me.”</p><p>“Darcy, do you know where you’ll be?” Steve murmured. </p><p>She turned away from Jane, not wanting her friend to hear. “At a bank,” she replied. “With the chair. Please hurry.”</p><p>“What—“</p><p>“Fuck, gotta go.” She hung up and grabbed Jane’s hand, tugging her down an alley and away from the headlights that had just turned the corner. </p><p>“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Darcy ignored the way Jane was tugging on her arm, running blindly until—there. She jerked to a stop, then dragged Jane into the little coffee shop. The barista looked up at their sudden interest, bored. Her eyes sharpened at the look of panic on their faces.</p><p>“Do you have a bathroom?” Darcy asked, glancing over her shoulder. Clear, but they didn’t have much time.</p><p>By the time she looked back, the barista’s expression had shifted to sympathy. “Yes, absolutely.” She pointed toward the single door along the back wall. “Go, go. Don’t worry.”</p><p>Jane followed Darcy to the bathroom silently, waiting for her to lock the door before she exploded into violent whispers. “What the fuck, Darcy. You never said anything about splitting up!”</p><p>“There wasn’t any time to stop and argue with you,” she explained calmly, unzipping the backpack and starting to dig through it. She let out a satisfied hum when she found the black hoodie she was looking for, tossing it at Jane. “Braid your hair and put that on, please.”</p><p>To Jane’s credit, she did as asked without any complaint. Not about that, anyway. “Darcy, don’t ignore me. Please, be honest. Is it actually important that I’m not with you, or are you just protecting me?”</p><p>“You really shouldn’t be there,” she answered. Darcy expected it to be a lie, but it rang with an awful sort of truth.</p><p>Jane recognized the unique tone of Darcy’s Y-sense, and her shoulders slumped. “I don’t like this,” she muttered, swiping a finger beneath one eye.</p><p>“Me neither.” Darcy reached behind her head to just above the nape of her neck to press hard against the little button nestled there, then reached over to do the same to Jane. “Beacons activated. We’re running out of time.” Jane nodded, and they grabbed their backpacks and headed back into the cafe. </p><p>After a nod to the worried barista, Jane settled at a table near the back wall that was hidden from view of the outside by the bar itself. They tucked both backpacks between her seat and the wall, then stared at each other in silence. </p><p>“Hey,” came a soft voice from off to the side, “is there anything I can do to help?” The barista stood just behind the bar, wringing her hands.</p><p>“Actually,” Darcy stood, reaching for a twenty dollar bill she had in her back pocket, “can I get three black coffees? As quick as you can make them.”</p><p>The barista—Deirdre, according to her name tag—looked at her strangely but agreed. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked as she poured the coffee into to-go cups.</p><p>“We will be, thanks. You a fan of the Avengers, by any chance?”</p><p>Deirdre looked at her like she was crazy. “I’m not a psycho. Of course I am. Here,” she said, setting the last coffee down on the counter.</p><p>“Good. You’ll probably be getting some welcome visitors in a little while, then. That’s Jane, by the way.” She jerked a thumb in her friend’s direction, who rolled her eyes and scoffed when Darcy added, “I promise she won’t cause any trouble. She does tend to snore, though, sorry. Feel free to throw an empty cup at her if she’s annoying.”</p><p>“You’re not funny, Darce.”</p><p>“Of course I am. Here,” she added, sliding the twenty across the counter. “Thank you for the help. You have no idea what you’ve done for us.”</p><p>“The world is shit,” Deirdre retorted, “so I have some idea.” She tucked the money into her apron and nodded in Jane’s direction. “You’ve got hot coffee as long as you need to stay here, honey. Just let me know when you want a refill. You aren’t staying?” she asked Darcy.</p><p>Instead of stopping to explain, Darcy just shook her head and took the third coffee over to Jane. She dropped a kiss on the top of her best friend’s hoodie as she set it on the table in front of her, murmuring a soft, “Love you, Janie.”</p><p>Jane grabbed her arm before she could step away. There were tears in her eyes. “I love you too, Darcy Lewis. You come back to me, okay?”</p><p>“Pinky promise.”</p><p>Her friend nodded solemnly, recognizing the gravity of the promise. “Good.”</p><p>“Outta time, Janie. Gotta go.” </p><p>Darcy didn’t look back as she exited the coffee shop, except to grab the other two cups of coffee and toss a wink at the barista’s hesitant call of “good luck!”</p><p>Once she was outside, Darcy’s hands started to shake and she squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment as she drew a shaky breath. A single tear escaped her tightly-closed lids, which she wiped away with her shoulder. To calm down, she focused on the feel of the hot coffee in her hands, determined not to slosh the hot liquid onto her hands and add that to everything else. It helped, and she was still focused on it two blocks later when she looked up at a crosswalk only to stop when her path was cut off by some black ops cosplayer-wannabes. </p><p>“Oh, hello,” she said, jerking to a stop and checking to make sure she hadn’t sloshed her coffee too badly. “Shit. Sorry, didn’t see you there.”</p><p>One of the men stepped forward to loom over her. “Where’s Dr. Jane Foster?” he demanded.</p><p>“She’s with the NASA guys,” Darcy lied blithely, “down at the convention center. Something about some of the data for their presentation needing to be adjusted at the last second. Scientists.” She shrugged, as if to ask <em>what can you do?</em> “Were you interested in her research? I’ve got to get this coffee over to her, but I’m sure she can make time for you after the presentation—”</p><p>“Shut up,” one of the guys growled, only to stop when the leader held up a hand.</p><p>“No,” the first man said, sounding almost pleasant as he reached for her, “we’re here for you.”</p><p>“Fuck,” Darcy said. “Can I at least drink my coffee first?”</p><p>The cups hit the sidewalk a second later, answering her question. When the bag came over her head, she was still looking down at the spilled drink mournfully. </p><p><em>Fuck</em>. This was going to suck.</p><hr/><p>“Any chance you’re willing to let me go and we can all just forget this ever happened?” Darcy asked hopefully, once she regained consciousness. There was a nasty taste in her mouth, and she had no idea how long she’d been sedated.</p><p>The doctor—she assumed, anyway, based on the white lab coat—gave her an unamused look. “They said you were mouthy. Luckily for you, I need your mouth free for verbal responses. For now, anyway.”</p><p>Darcy winced. “I guess that’s a no.” She tried not to frown as the woman gestured at two of the Hydra goons to come strap her down. Not that Darcy could’ve done much in the way of resisting, but it would’ve been very cathartic to head butt her in the nose.</p><p>The restraints bit into the flesh of her arms, and she had to bite down on her lip stifle a cry. When she opened her eyes, the doctor was staring at her in satisfaction. “Oh, no more cheeky bravado? How sad.”</p><p>“Creep,” Darcy spat, eyeing the woman’s flushed cheeks and dilated pupils with disdain. “You get off on this.”</p><p>Before she could even register a movement, her head snapped to one side as one of the guards slapped her hard across the face. The taste of copper flooded her mouth, and her tongue probed gently at the place where her lip had split along the sharp edge of her teeth. It hurt like hell, but she looked up and offered a bloody grin anyway.<em> My friends are gonna fuck you up,</em> she thought silently, directing it with as much force as possible to the woman across from her.</p><p>Some of it must have registered on her face, because the doctor actually took a half-step back before regaining her composure. “None of that, now,” she said quickly, looking to the guards. “I do need her to be able to speak. And anyway, it’s not an insult. Isn’t that the dream, to enjoy the work you do?”</p><p>Darcy shrugged as much as she could while tied down. “Well, I guess someone has to be the scum of the earth. Just my luck that <em>I</em> had to meet you.”</p><p>“Enough chatter,” the doctor snapped. She picked up a wicked looking needle. “I have questions, and you’re going to give me answers.”</p><p>“Or?” Darcy couldn’t help but ask. What was taking her friends so long? Had it been five minutes, or five hours? She couldn’t tell, because honestly it felt like five years since she’d woken up in the hotel room.</p><p>In answer, the doctor gestured at one of the guards. He obligingly flicked the switch on his baton-like thing, and one end of it crackled with electricity.</p><p>“Yikes. What did you want to know?” She adopted a resigned tone, hoping no one could see the panic now thrumming through her veins. Darcy didn’t <em>think</em> her Y-sense would let her spill secrets about Yggdrasil and the workings of the universe, but she really didn’t want to put it to the test.</p><p>“Tell me about the Asgardian medicine that brought you back to life.”</p><p>“Wait, what?” Her mind was blank. Did they—did they not know about her premonitions?</p><p>“You heard me, little girl. And before you go getting any ideas about lying—we know you received treatment. No earthly surgery could have fixed you after that impalement. And yet two weeks later there’s video of you walking around New York City, carefree and moving on your own power.” She reached out to tug up Darcy’s shirt, ignoring the way she tried to squirm away. “Not even a scar left as proof.”</p><p>“Wait, how did you even see what happened?” They’d been in the wild fjordlands of Norway, not in a populated city.</p><p>“The eyes of Hydra see all,” the woman intoned.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, you’re the biggest baddest baddies in town, I get it.”</p><p>“Stop stalling and tell me.”</p><p>“Look, I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t remember anything beyond pushing my boss out of the way and getting impaled. I don’t even know what that thing was that impaled me.” She looked the doctor straight in the eye as she spoke, completely honest. “I have no idea what they did to me on Asgard.”</p><p>Yggdrasil wasn’t on Asgard, that much was true. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once.</p><p>The doctor and her goons stared at Darcy suspiciously, but she kept her face even and focused on the fact that every single word she’d said was absolutely true.</p><p>After a long, tense moment, the doctor sighed.  “Well, that truly is unfortunate. Unsurprising, but unfortunate. I suppose we’ll have to go about uncovering their secrets the hard way.”</p><p>“The hard way?”</p><p>The woman’s eyes took on a fanatical gleam. “With experimentation. I find this much more rewarding, even if it is more time-consuming. The subjects don’t tend to appreciate it much. Miss Lewis—Darcy, may I call you Darcy—“</p><p>“—You absolutely may not, you fucking psycho—“</p><p>“—I’d say to relax so that this hurts less but the truth is I’m no longer all that concerned with your well-being. Your brain is clearly of no use to me, and your body will give me the answers I seek whether or not you’re in pain. Actually,” the woman mused, “sometimes it reveals more that way.”</p><p>And without further ado she jabbed the needle into Darcy’s vein, withdrawing blood into a large tube. Darcy didn’t dare try to fight or jerk away, all too aware of the sharp instruments within the doctor’s reach.</p><p>Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut, tried to remember to breathe, and asked the universe for help.</p><p>A loud noise in the hallway startled them all; Darcy flinched as the woman’s arm moved unexpectedly, jamming the needle further into her flesh. She cried out, instinctively trying to escape the rough treatment. The doctor’s hand went slack as she nervously looked toward the door, and with one sharp buck of Darcy’s body the needle slipped from her arm and crashed to the floor.</p><p>The guards raced out of the room, but she hardly noticed. She couldn’t look away from the needle. Her blood looked normal, human, as it slowly leaked onto the floor, she noted absently. She’d kind of wondered, after the whole becoming part world-tree and everything.</p><p>A loud bang had her looking up again; it sounded suspiciously like a vibranium shield hitting the wall. Darcy offered the doctor another feral, bloody grin. </p><p>“Here’s what I don’t understand,” she mocked, adopting the doctor’s superior tone. It was amazing—she no longer felt much like a prisoner even though she was still the only one strapped down. It paid to have powerful, loyal friends. “You’ve seen the footage, obviously,” she wiggled a hand—as much of a nonchalant wave as she could manage through the restraints—to acknowledge the damn video as the entire reason they were there, “so you know that I know Thor. And you assumed that I received treatment for my injuries on Asgard, which means that you recognize that I am in some way important to the god of thunder.” Not every mortal—even the brave ones—received Asgardian healing for their wounds, everyone knew that.</p><p>Relishing (just a little bit) in the doctor’s increasingly terrified expression as the sounds of fighting grew ever nearer to their door, Darcy got to the point. “So my question is—how were you so fucking dumb as to think that he wouldn’t come after you for this?”</p><p>“Thor’s off planet,” the doctor stammered.</p><p>The door flew open, kicked in by Captain America himself. “Yeah, but we’re not.” His eyes raked over Darcy, pausing with concern over her split lip and the blood pooling at her elbow.</p><p>“Don’t move, or—I’ll shoot her!” the doctor shouted, pulling a handgun from somewhere in her lab coat. She started to level it at Darcy... only to drop dead before her arm could even reach shoulder height.</p><p>Bucky Barnes holstered his rifle as he stepped around his friend, calmly striding over to check the woman’s nonexistent pulse even as Steve rushed over to release Darcy from her restraints. She watched, detached, as he shook his head in Steve’s direction. It seemed a little obvious to Darcy, who could see the hole in the woman’s forehead even from her vantage point.</p><p>Swallowing back bile, she smiled and said, “Thanks for the assist, Metal Man. I really appreciate it.”</p><p>He looked at her, confused, but shrugged anyway. “Sure.” His voice was husky and a little bit hoarse, like he wasn’t used to speaking all that much. It took her a moment to realize, but he seemed distracted. It was in the way he looked around. Toward and then away from the awful steampunk-looking torture chair in the middle of the room. There was a tightness to his face, like he’d stepped right back into his own personal hell.</p><p>Oh, fuck. </p><p>She was distracted from that horrible realization by Steve, who was lifting her into a seated position and easing her legs over to one side of the gurney. He followed her gaze over to the horror chair and shook his head.</p><p>“I have no idea why they brought you here. Grateful, don’t get me wrong. But it doesn’t make much sense.”</p><p>“Familiarity,” grunted Sergeant Barnes. “Or maybe they assumed we would think it too obvious. Who the fuck cares.” </p><p>She watched as he strapped something that looked suspiciously like C4 to the base of the chair. When she caught Steve’s eye, he shook his head. Not gonna ask or complain about the explosives, then. Alright. Everyone dealt with trauma in their own ways, she guessed. And after just a half hour in the damn room, she could kind of relate.</p><p>Still— “You’re gonna wait to blow that until we’re out of here, right?”</p><p>Barnes gave her a flat look. “What, you haven’t been working on your sprints?”</p><p>“Har, har.”</p><p>“Save that for later. We need to get out of here before anyone comes to investigate, or Dr. Foster decides to mount a one-woman rescue,” he added, making her laugh. “Darcy, you okay to walk?”</p><p>“I think so.” Pressing a hand gingerly against her sore arm, she braced herself and stood up. It was a bit wobbly, at first (and boy was it strange having two super soldiers ready and willing to catch her if she fell), but her dizziness faded within a few moments. Above everything else, she just wanted to get the hell out of there. “Yeah, I’m good. As long as we’re not sprinting anywhere.”</p><p>Barnes smirked at her poor attempt at a glare. “Yeah, yeah. Not until we’re all clear, promise.”</p><p>“Good. Then let’s blow this popsicle stand.” She cringed as soon as she said it, and sure enough—</p><p>“Oh, so you do want me to blow it up right now? Make up your mind, woman.”</p><p>“Bucky,” Steve chastised, but he was laughing.</p><p><br/>Minutes later, they watched from the street as the bank collapsed in on itself. “Feel better?” Darcy asked.</p><p>“You have no idea,” Barnes replied, staring at the rubble with dark satisfaction.</p><p>“Maybe the tiniest bit of an idea,” she said, rubbing at the puncture wound in her arm. He looked at her sideways, dipping his chin in the barest hint of a nod. </p><p>If it was nearly as bad as she thought it was (and she had the sinking feeling it was much, much worse)— “But really, thank you. That can’t have been easy for you. You didn’t have to come, but I’m really grateful that you did.”</p><p>“It was the least I could do,” he shrugged, meeting her eyes briefly before looking away.</p><p>His words caused the pit in her stomach—present since she’d woken up from her nightmare that morning—to deepen. “What does that mean?”</p><p>“We have to go.” Steve avoided her gaze, too, leading the way to their car. Sirens echoed through the neighborhood, responding to the building collapse, and he gestured at them to hurry up. </p><p>“What does that mean?” She asked again, once they’d strapped themselves in and had removed themselves from the scene without incident. (Barnes had offered her the front seat with a silent gesture, but she refused to be bribed. Much.) “Steve, we told you that in confidence—“</p><p>“It wasn’t me,” he cut in. “Jane decided Bucky needed to know. Just in case.”</p><p>
  <em>“What?”</em>
</p><p>“She’s worried about you. And she was terrified that Hydra had figured out your... abilities. She figured Bucky would understand. That he <em>should</em> understand. And he did. Of course.”</p><p>“That’s not her decision to make,” Darcy muttered furiously.</p><p>Steve shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. Barnes didn’t say anything at all.</p><hr/><p>“Oh my god, Darcy, are you alright? Ow! What was that for?” Jane hissed, rubbing at her arm where Darcy had pinched her. Hard. </p><p>“You told— wait, is this place secure?” After one kidnapping today, she probably should have paid more attention to where they were taking her. But damn it, she was tired. </p><p>“Yes,” Steve replied without hesitation. </p><p>There was silence, as Jane and Steve stared at Darcy while she stared at Barnes. He finally turned away from his perch at the front window and caught her eye. When he lifted an eyebrow at her, she raised one in turn. </p><p>“It’s clear,” he finally drawled, amused. “Pinky promise.”</p><p>At that reassurance, she turned back to Jane and pinched her again. “You told someone, Jane! What the hell! We agreed—“ she bit her tongue, using the pain to bite back the tears that burned behind her eyes. </p><p>“I was worried about you, Darcy,” Jane shot back, defiant. “And all I could think was what if my best friend gets killed because I didn’t share all the information?”</p><p>“Maybe we should step out for a minute and let you two talk,” Steve suggested. Barnes laughed at him when he was completely ignored. </p><p>“One more person who knows is another chance that it will get out. No offense,” she said, glancing at Barnes briefly. </p><p>“None taken,” he replied, still grinning. Steve, who said nothing, did look offended. Oh, well. </p><p>She turned back to her best friend. “Janie, they were going to cut me open and bleed me dry just because they thought that I’d been treated with some kind of Asgardian miracle drug that brought me back to life. I was nothing more than a lab animal to them. Can you imagine what they’d do if they knew the <em>truth</em>?” </p><p>Jane pulled her into her arms. “We won’t let that happen, Darcy. I promise.”</p><p>Darcy wiped at her eyes and sniffled. “You can’t promise that.”</p><p>“No, I can’t. No one can. But if you can’t trust Captain America and his best friend, who’s left?”</p><p>“I dunno—“ Barnes began, only to be cut off by a throw pillow to the head. </p><p>“Jerk,” Steve muttered. He looked awkwardly between Jane and Darcy, clearly trying to tell whether their spat was over. </p><p>Darcy took pity on him. “I really appreciate your help, Steve. I would’ve been in serious trouble without you.” </p><p>His hug was all-enveloping, like being wrapped up in the arms of an oversized, weight-lifting teddy bear. “It’s no problem, Darcy. I’m glad we were able to help.”</p><p>“And you,” she added, stepping away from Steve to look at Barnes. He didn’t seem the touchy type, at least not with a near stranger, so she settled for squeezing his metal arm lightly. It was surprisingly warm beneath her fingers. “Thank you, Sergeant Barnes.”</p><p>“Good God,” he scoffed, “I’d almost prefer to be called Metal Man or whatever it was that you said before. Just Bucky, please.”</p><p>“Okay. Thanks, Bucky.”</p><p>“That’s three times now you’ve thanked me. It was no problem, really.” <em>So don’t bring it up anymore</em>, his body language screamed. </p><p>“You should see her after a couple of margaritas,” Jane chipped in from across the room, and Darcy wanted to strangle her. “She’s the gushy type, our Darcy.”</p><p>“Anyway,” Darcy interjected, not wanting to get into her drinking habits with a couple of super soldier World War II veterans, “I’m guessing we’re skipping the rest of the stupid conference?”</p><p>“Yes.” Steve’s authoritative tone brooked no argument. Little did he know she had no intention to trying to start one.</p><p>“Good. I’m putting a kibosh on all conference travel for the next year,” she informed Jane, who immediately opened her mouth to protest. “Nuh uh. Kidnappee’s prerogative. Next time you get kidnapped, you get to make the rule.”</p><p>“How about we just get everyone home safely and no one gets kidnapped?” Steve suggested, following them toward the door.</p><p>“I like them,” she thought she heard Bucky say as they headed back for the car. </p><p>The feeling was mutual. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>love you all.</p><p>hope you're hanging in there.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>love you all.</p><p>my muse doesn't feel done with this story yet, but i'm marking it complete just in case.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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